California Hits Another EV Milestone: 100,000 Public Chargers

SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has surpassed 100,000 public and shared private electric vehicle chargers installed statewide, just weeks after unprecedented funding was approved to build a bigger, better network of charging and refueling infrastructure for zero-emission cars, trucks and buses – the most extensive network in the nation.

This is on top of more than 500,000 at-home chargers that Californians have installed for personal use.

Sales of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) have skyrocketed more than 1,000% in the last decade.

One in every four new cars sold last year in California were zero-emission. Last year, the state also surpassed its goal of selling 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles and its goal to install 10,000 fast chargers for electric vehicles — both ahead of schedule.

BUILDING A BIGGER, BETTER NETWORK

This milestone follows approval of a $1.9 billion investment plan that accelerates progress on the state’s electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling goals. The plan details how the money will be spent with at least 50% dedicated to benefiting communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. With this funding, the state expects to reach its goal of 250,000 public chargers in the next few years.

Just today, Caltrans broke ground for a $450,000 Clean California transit project in Blythe that will transform a litter-strewn public space into a transportation hub that features a solar-powered EV charging station, among other things. And last week, California celebrated the grand opening of a truck charging depot and 50 battery electric trucks, supported by $27 million in state funding.

The funding is part of the $48 billion dollar California Climate Commitment, which includes more than $10 billion for ZEVs and ZEV infrastructure. The state has also received billions from the Biden-Harris Administration for clean transportation.

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to provide a dedicated source of funding for ZEV infrastructure through 2035.

Yesterday, Tesla announced that it opened its Supercharger network to non-Teslas for the first time, beginning with Ford, and will be opening to more in the coming months. This significantly expands public access to fast, reliable chargers in the state.

To improve the EV charging experience, the California Energy Commission (CEC) is developing first-in-the-world state regulations for charger reliability and reporting. A stringent performance standard will apply to all new publicly funded infrastructure and the chargers will be required to disclose operational data to help drivers make more informed choices.